Disturbances in GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation signals have been observed in parts of NATO’s newest member Finland, it has been reported.
The disruptions in the signals used by pilots as well as motorists, follow previous GPS disturbances that have sparked speculation of Russian involvement, although there is no proof that Moscow was behind the latest incident.
The Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) said that the GPS disturbances were detected in eastern and southeastern Finland on Sunday, according to Finnish news outlet YLE News.
Traficom’s aviation chief Jari Pöntinen said that GPS disturbances did not affect flight safety, because planes are equipped with other navigation systems.
Pöntinen would not comment on whether Russia was involved although he did say such disruptions usually occur near conflict areas.
“There have been disturbances in the Baltic Sea near Kaliningrad, in the Black Sea Region and in the Middle East, such as near Israel,” Pöntinen said.
Soon after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, French air safety official Benoît Roturier, head of satellite navigation at the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile said that Moscow was behind GPS jamming incidents affecting aircraft over Finland.
Last week, Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s Permanent Representative to International Organizations in Vienna, said that Helsinki’s NATO accession in April made Finland vulnerable should hostilities break out between the alliance and Moscow.
In a statement to Newsweek, the Finnish foreign ministry responded to Ulyanov’s comments by saying that its accession to the alliance was a reaction “to Russia’s war of aggression and its implications to European security environment.”
“There is no direct military threat against Finland at the moment. Finland continues its strong support to Ukraine,” the statement added.
